From buchu in the Cape mountains to marula and baobab in the bushveld, South Africa is preparing to turn its extraordinary natural biodiversity into a globally competitive essential oils industry — and a new national conference aims to unlock the door to premium world markets.
The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) will host the Essential Oils Conference in Pretoria from 23 to 24 July 2026, under the theme “Treasures of the Past Leading to the Trophy of the Future”, SAnews reports.
“South Africa’s natural biodiversity is one of our greatest economic assets,” said the dtic’s Deputy Director-General of Sectors, Dr Tebogo Makube. “By investing in quality infrastructure, innovation and internationally recognised standards, we are creating the conditions for local producers to compete successfully in premium global markets while advancing industrialisation and export-led growth.”
A Growing Global Prize
The global essential oils market is valued at more than USD15 billion — roughly R270 billion — and keeps growing as demand rises for natural, sustainably sourced ingredients in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food, fragrance and wellness products.
South Africa currently exports approximately USD73.5 million worth of essential oils annually, but is well positioned to expand its share thanks to high-value indigenous oils such as buchu, Cape chamomile, rose geranium, helichrysum, marula and baobab.
The ambition, Makube stressed, goes beyond shipping raw materials. “Our ambition is not simply to export raw natural resources, but to develop globally competitive manufacturing industries that produce high-value essential oil products. This approach strengthens industrial capability, creates employment and enables South African businesses to capture greater value from global supply chains,” he said.
Rural Communities First in Line
The sector’s growth promises to reach the people who need it most. “The essential oils sector has significant potential to create sustainable livelihoods, particularly for rural communities, women-owned enterprises, youth entrepreneurs and small businesses,” Makube said.
The conference will bring together producers, exporters, manufacturers, researchers, laboratories, certification bodies, international buyers and investors to discuss market diversification, quality assurance, sustainability and emerging export opportunities.
It is hosted in partnership with the Southern African Essential Oil Producers’ Association (SAEOPA), the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), and forms part of the UNIDO-SECO Global Quality and Standards Programme — a 42-month partnership with the dtic to strengthen South Africa’s quality infrastructure and boost compliance with international standards.
The dtic is also rolling out interventions to promote value addition, facilitate market access and support small, medium and emerging enterprises entering domestic and international value chains.
If the plan works, the scents of the Karoo and the Cape — bottled, branded and certified in South Africa — could soon be found on shelves around the world, carrying jobs and rural development home with every export order.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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